Heating Coils caused this Connecticut Ice Dam to have an artistic look but could water be leaking back into this home?

Here is another Connecticut home with heating coils and an ice dam

Heating Coils used to prevent Ice Dams may not be the answer in severe winters

Ice Dams and Ice Dam prevention is a big topic in the news right now and also the topic of this blog post.

In our travels to Connecticut homes with leaky ice dams we see other area homes covered in ice! In the picture to the left the home owner obviously had heating coils installed on the roof to prevent ice dams but as the picture shows there are two very large ice dams created by the same heating coils that were supposed to prevent ice dams! A neighboring home also had heating coils installed and as you see, they still have a major ice dam problem on their roof!

Could the melting water from the heating coils penetrate the roof?

With the ice dam still intact on the gutter like you see in the picture, I would think that would be a strong possibility!

This is just something we have noticed in our travels, it seems that the folks who continuously maintained their roof after each storm had the least amount of Ice dams on their roofs.

At Al’s Absolute Best Cleaning and rsetoration LLC, we find that the best way to prevent ice dams is first to have adequate ventilation and insulation in your homes attic and second is to maintain your gutter system and be sure it is totally clean before winter sets in! Third would be to maintain your roof after each storm! If you see the tell tale sign of a water damage leak in your home caused by ice dams, broken pipes or water run off, give Al’s Absolute Best Cleaning and Restoration LLC. a call.

It’s February 2015 Connecticut has been hit by several major snow storms and the Ice dams are back with a vengeance! If you haven’t had experience with the lowly ice dam I will briefly explain what ice dams are and what they can do to your home. Ice dams are just what they sound like a dam made of ice usually at the edge of your roof on the gutter but different circumstances can cause ice dams to form farther up on your homes roof. The snow on your roof is actually fuel for the ice dam, the snow acts as an insulator allowing escaping heat from the roof of your home to melt the bottom layer of snow creating flowing water even in bitter cold temperatures that runs down the peak of your roof and pools up behind the ice dams on your homes roof. Water having almost a mind of it’s own finds the easiest route of travel which unfortunately can be right back into your home.

Many times water shows itself in the home and many times remains hidden in the walls of your home becoming a possible breading ground for mold. At Al’s Absolute Best LLC, the most common call from intrusive water from ice dams is “water is leaking in around my window”, just a few drips of water coming from the window could indicate more damage inside the walls.

Water forced into home by an ice dam remains hidden in wall

This photo shows a wall effected by water from ice dams but there was no evidence of water in the home, the wall felt dry to the touch but ice dams forced water into the walls soaking the sheathing and insulation thanks to the expertise of Al’s Absolute Best LLC’s trained water damage technicians the hidden damage was found and addressed before mold could begin to breed inside the wall.

Sometimes water shows up on the ceiling of your home, Ice dams can actually force water into the home where it runs along rafters and beams dripping well away from the point where the ice dam exists., showing up as spots on your ceiling, these spots can leak on and off during the frequent temperature changes of the winter season.

If you encounter any of these symptoms, have ice dams on your home and feel like there could be intrusive water forced into your home by ice dams give a reputable water damage restoration company, like Al’s Absolute Best LLC a call! Al’s Absolute best works directly with homeowners insurance companies!

Flood Damage CT. Drying experts can prevent mold in your home’s future.
Al’s Absolute Best LLC, are experts that can guide you through the whole process and even asist you by working directly with your insurance company. Al’s Absolute Best LLC, are your Consumer advocate restoration professionals!

A frozen pipe caused this flood damage in a Guilford Ct. home!

Here is a letter from the same homeowner! Her Water damage job was fairly large effecting 2 floors and 5 rooms!

A very happy client sent us this letter in 2014

As I type this blog post thousands of homes have flood Damage in CT, frozen pipes, Ice dams and melting ice and snow that can’t escape into the frozen earth is the cause of all these flood damage calls, that are flooding our office and the office’s of restoration professionals across the state.
It’s actually hard to find someone that is trained in water damage to come out right away in a time of crisis like this.
At Al’s Absolute Best LLC. we strive to be as quick as possible to any water damage emergency. Al’s Absolute Best LLC, can even come out and see if you have hidden flood damage in your home.
When you have a flood damage emergency you can always count on Al’s Absolute Best LLC, to make you feel that your flood damage emergency is under control asap!
Click this video link below to see Al’s Absolute Best LLC Respond to an emergency Water Damage situation!

“When seconds count call us first”

We have provided water damage remediation services to the home in the video on 2 occasions! We don’t like to see our clients suffer through additional water damages but we have many repete emergency clients and that say’s were doing something right!
Al’s Absolute Best LLC,Is a family business that has been serving the CT area for over 17 years!

We at Al’s Absolute Best Restoration and Cleaning Services are fully prepared for Hurricane Sandy! We have been working around the clock for the last few days preparing for hurricane Sandy. We have trucks loaded with flood pumps and drying equipment. We have crews ready to go, you can depend on Al’s to take care of any flooded properties! We also have generators on hand to run our equipment even when the power is out! Connecticut is about to face one of, or the worst storm we have ever seen in our lives!Evacuations have already begun along the coast! When Hurricane Irene hit us last year, we were ready to go and we helped folks along the shoreline to save thier homes and belongings. Hurrican Sandy is expected to be about 2 or 3 times worse than Irene! Al’s Absolute Best Restoration is here for all of your flood restoration needs! We work 24/7 so we can get to you when you need us most! What’s really important for this storm is having the power to run flood equipment and drying equipment. This is one reason why we are already ahead of most of our competition, we have many generators on hand so we can start restoring your flood home to pre loss condtion immediately. Remember in the even that your insurance provides coverage for your flood, Al’s documents and records all damages created from intrusive water. We use meters and moisture detectors along with cameras and tools so we have solid proof to help back your insurance claim.

Call Now 860 537 1594 We serve all of CT with flood restoration services!

11. Your insurance policy will include the terms which describe the time period in which you are supposed to receive your settlement payment by. You are legally permitted to exercise your rights and to receive payment within that time period. This right was instated to protect you against insurance companies taking advantage of your circumstance and convincing you into taking a lesser settlement amount.
You must be careful, it is important to go over your policy with your insurance adjuster because the policy also has time requirements in which the policy holder must prepare their claim and submit it to insurance. It is very important to know these guidelines at the beginning of your claim so that you can ensure that the claim goes through properly.

You, the policy holder have the strongest impact on what the insurance company does. It is up to you to ensure that the insurance company gives you proper settlement in the proper fashion and proper time. A good Restoration Company will be there for you helping you to exercise your rights and make everything as easy as possible for you. In the end, the policy holder holds most of the power.

7. The company that you wish to hire is obligated to provide you with a detailed list of repairs and materials that will be needed for the job upon your request, even before the work begins. They should also include other potential hidden costs that may be incurred while restoring your place, in should be as accurate as possible with as much detail as possible.
The restoration company you choose should be able to tell you what they think will be needed for the job and how extensive it could get, they should also be able to come up with a list of all these details upon your request.
The company of your choosing, should be able to say, “Mrs. Jones, there is no way to tell you how extensive the damage is behind this wall until will start removing/ cutting to inspect and dry behind that wall. The technician should at least be able to tell you where there may be additional damage and what should be done about it.

You do not have to choose a restoration company that delivers the lowest bid, in fact any repairs made should be done at the going rate in your area, to return your building to its original condition and quality.
Preferred Contractors give discounted rates to insurance companies, preferred contractors do not define the “going rate” in your area. Prices are set by industry standards. Prices are also subject to change in different geographical areas, and you are allowed to choose the company that you think will provide the best workmanship to bring your home back to its pre-loss condition.
A good company will use an industry standard method of calculating costs. Xactimate is a very good example and is very commonly used in the cleaning and restoration industry. A good restoration company will not be making side negotiations with your insurance company; they will be on your side acting as your advocate. A company like Al’s Absolute Best Cleaning and Restoration actually positions themselves as consumer advocates, so we preform top quality services to bring your house back to pre-loss condition. Our advanced drying techniques and processes enable us to dry faster saving your structure from more extensive damages. Insurance companies love us because we put so much effort into saving what you have rather than re-placing, this saves them costly re-placement fees, which means you have a lower claim to submit, everyone makes out better this way. Someone that comes in offering reduced rates and discounts, isn’t going to provide top-quality work, which could easily result in future mold growth, mildew odors etc. The insurance adjuster dealing with your claim will be much happier if you choose a great restoration company backed up with years of experience and know-how, that also prices everything at the industry standard and going rate for your area.

The Second excerpt of the Insured Bill of Rights brought to you by Al’s Absolute Best Cleaning and Restoration Services.
This one is pretty self explanatory, If you have secured adequate coverage, you are entitled to be paid for the fair cost of fully restoring your home to its pre-damaged condition after an emergency situation such as a water damage or fire loss in your CT home.
If you have replacement value insurance your insurance provider should cover full replacement of items damaged. Remember to take pictures and gather information you may have on the damaged items, such as price and location of purchase if available. If Al’s Absolute Best Cleaning and Restoration is handling the loss, our team of professionals can catalog and photograph all items in question.
An insurance term you should be familiar with is L.K.Q. it stands for like kind and quality. If you have adequate coverage your home should be restored to L.K.Q. after a fire, smoke or flood emergency.
This means materials used in reconstruction should be of the same quality as what was removed, no less, no more.
Although sometimes our clients chose to upgrade the materials on their own, the insurance provider is only required to pay for L.K.Q.
Al’s Absolute Best Cleaning and Restoration Services recommend that you check over your insurance policies and try to get a good understanding of your coverage.
Some flood emergencies are not covered, such as wind driven rain and ground water intrusion. If your Connecticut home is equipped with a sub-pump, make sure you are covered for submersible pump failure. This would also be a good time to take a look at your sub-pump to make sure is free of debris hose kinks and is functioning properly.